How Americans are POISONING themselves in desperate attempts to get rid of bed bugs

Americans are increasingly poisoning themselves in an attempt to get rid of bed bugs, the government has warned.

Over a 4 year period, one person died and 128 people suffered mild to serious health issues when outdoor pesticides were used inside, according to a health advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

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Two days after her second pesticide application she was found unresponsive by her husband.

She lingered in the hospital for nine days before passing away.

Read before you spray: CDC officials are asking people to be sure their pesticides are approved for indoor use after a rash of poisonings

'Many people are somewhat desperate to find any solution,' Bernadette Burden, a CDC spokeswoman, toldNBC News. 'This is something they’re not used to. Oftentimes, they’re tempted to use any insecticide that they can get their hands on.'

Bedbug victims with less tragic ends include Melissa Constantinou, 25, a personal
chef in Lowell, Mass..

Her
apartment was treated for infestation four times with Constantinou ever once worrying about the possible health effects.

'Oh my gosh, it’s so emotionally
disturbing,' she said. 'I was willing to do whatever it took. I didn’t
think about the long-term effects at all.'

According to the National
Pesticide Information Center, inquiries about bedbugs nearly
doubled between 2007 and 2011, leading health agencies to view the issue as 'an emerging national
concern.'

Especially as bedbug infestations have been on the rise.

Not in my bed: People often spray their homes multiple times over a short period to treat infestation

First-time service calls for bed bug treatment went from about 100 requests a month in January 2008 to roughly 300 per month by April 2012 according to a survey conducted by Jeff White,
technical director of the website BedBug Central.

'Outdoor pesticides should not be used indoors under any circumstances,' ATSDR officials warn.

The problems come from people using too much pesticide or applying it incorrectly.

'A lot of them don’t understand that the
label is the law,' said David Stone director of the NPIC. 'This product should not be applied
directly to the skin. That product should not be used on mattresses.'

In one example recorded by the CDC, an Ohio family - including four children and a roommate - became ill after an uncertified pesticide company used malathion to treat their apartment.

That pesticide is not registered for indoor use, but the crew used it so much they saturated the beds and floor coverings.

CDC experts said people should be careful to read the labels before using a pesticide indoors.

'More importantly, follow the guidance
and make sure you’re using the right pesticide and that you’re treating
the right pest,' said the CDC’s Burden, who noted that bedbugs often can
resemble other critters at different stages in their life cycle.